Joe Blankholm
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joeblankholm.bsky.social
Joe Blankholm
@joeblankholm.bsky.social
Associate Professor of Religious Studies at UC-Santa Barbara. Author of The Secular Paradox (NYU 2022). Public Voices Fellow of The OpEd Project. Book under contract with W. W. Norton.
Excited to participate in this Zoom event about WHAT SECULAR PEOPLE BELIEVE and why it matters more than ever. Hosted by @thesecularvote.bsky.social, in conversation with @juhemnr.me, Sarah Levin, and Shakir Stephen. bit.ly/secularvoter...
Welcome! You are invited to join a meeting: What do Secular Voters Believe In?. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the meeting.
It's a harmful myth that nonreligious people don't believe in anything. Researchers have shown that secular Americans have distinct beliefs about science and how to know the world, as well as what hap...
bit.ly
November 12, 2025 at 11:30 PM
Reposted by Joe Blankholm
We’re cutting faculty, raising class sizes, pushing tech on profs & Ss that few people want and helping these grifters become billionaires. Ridiculous www.engadget.com/ai/openai-is...
October 2, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Reposted by Joe Blankholm
Wrote this for @nytimes.com two weeks after J6:

www.nytimes.com/2021/01/19/o...
August 15, 2025 at 4:20 AM
It's not just voting that makes atheists and agnostics different. They're far more likely be exclusive empiricists who believe death is the final end. We show the receipts and explain what this means in an essay that relies on the General Social Survey. academic.oup.com/socrel/artic...
The Beliefs of Nonbelievers: Exclusive Empiricism and Mortal Finitude Among Atheists and Agnostics
Abstract. This essay argues that “atheist” and “agnostic” are not merely negative labels that indicate a person lacks belief in God or is not religious. Re
academic.oup.com
August 13, 2025 at 8:15 PM
Just a reminder that atheists (82%) and agnostics (80%) supported Kamala Harris at almost the same rate that white evangelicals supported Trump (85%) in the last presidential election. The secular vote matters, and it's growing.
August 13, 2025 at 8:10 PM
Glad to be part of a new project, @thesecularvote.bsky.social cularvote.bsky.social, started by @juhemnr.bsky.social and Sarah Levin. The site connects secular voters and the media with resources about Americans (more than a third!) who are nonreligious in one sense or another.

thesecularvote.com
Home - The Secular Vote
The Go-To Resource on Secular Voters Providing accurate representation a insightful analysis of secular voters to foster a deeper understanding. Explore more Latest Articles View More Meet Our Experts...
thesecularvote.com
August 13, 2025 at 8:07 PM
Looking forward to participating in this event tomorrow. It's a great edited volume. Worth attending if you're interested and haven't read it yet.
Welcome all tomorrow to our (earlier postponed) book launch webinar for the volume ”The Non-Religious and the State”
(De Gruyter). Non-members: contact us for zoom link.
July 22, 2025 at 6:14 PM
Reposted by Joe Blankholm
New in @theconversation.com, I explain the radical lessons from Pope Leo XIII that suggest how Leo XIV might approach AI: theconversation.com/19th-century...
19th-century Catholic teachings, 21st-century tech: How concerns about AI guided Pope Leo’s choice of name
The most recent Pope Leo’s writings about workers’ rights amid the Industrial Revolution form the foundation of modern Catholic social teachings.
theconversation.com
May 21, 2025 at 1:37 PM
Reposted by Joe Blankholm
The Secular Studies Association Brussels announces its call for proposals for an upcoming conference entitled, "Biographies and the Secular." The CFP will be open through 30 June.
Call for Papers: Biographies and the Secular
ssab.research.vub.be
May 6, 2025 at 5:52 PM
Reposted by Joe Blankholm
Our special issue "Biography and Secularism" is now out with Secular Studies! It is edited by Jeffrey Tyssens and me, departs from a workshop I hosted last year on biography and the history of atheism, secularism, and humanism, and includes 1+7 articles. Summary 👇
brill.com/view/journal...
1/9
brill.com
April 15, 2025 at 12:55 PM
Reposted by Joe Blankholm
Today is publication day! 🎉

Martyrs and Migrants: Coptic Christians and the Persecution Politics of US Empire, is now available @nyupress.bsky.social.

Use code NYUAU30 for 30% off:
nyupress.org/978147983322...
March 25, 2025 at 1:49 PM
Reposted by Joe Blankholm
"That same year, @lawrightsreligion.bsky.social published a report that described examples of religious freedom supporting progressive causes. The report failed to make waves in part because progressives weren’t ready to embrace their religious freedom. Now...the calculus has changed."
May 5, 2025 at 6:57 PM
"Progressives Have Religious Freedom Too." My OpEd at @thefulcrum-us.bsky.social builds on my research on the variety among the nonreligious, including nonbelievers and spiritual people. Thanks to the Op Ed Project and @neiljyoung.bsky.social for their support. thefulcrum.us/governance-l...
Progressives Have Religious Freedom Too
At the end of March, the Supreme Court heard arguments in a case about religious freedom. In late April, it heard two more. By summer, the Court could decide to give religious employers another tax br...
thefulcrum.us
May 5, 2025 at 6:43 PM
Reposted by Joe Blankholm
I'm excited to announce that my book is out with @uncpress.bsky.social!

uncpress.org/book/9781469... (use discount code 01SOCIAL30)
March 26, 2025 at 8:01 PM
Reposted by Joe Blankholm
If American religion were 100 people

63 Christians:
23 Evangelicals
19 Catholics
11 Mainline
5 Black Protestants
3 Other Christians
2 LDS

7 Other World Religions:
2 Jews
2 Other
1 Buddhist
1 Hindu
1 Muslim

30 Unaffiliated:
19 Nothing in particular
6 Agnostics
5 Atheists
March 29, 2025 at 4:34 PM
Grateful to Niels de Nutte for organizing this special issue of Secular Studies about my book, The Secular Paradox. My response to the forum will be in the next issue, along with the first emoticon I've managed to slide into an academic essay ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
brill.com/view/journal...
brill.com
March 19, 2025 at 4:54 PM